Holder,server and sealer



July 7, 1970 H. MOORE HOLDER, SERVER AND SEALER Filed Aug. 15, 1968 milul I/VVE/VTOR.

HERBERT LEI/0N M0095 United States Patent Int. Cl. A473 47/00 US. Cl. 99-434 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE In this specification, the gist of the technical disclosure resides in a unitary holding, serving and sealing tray for products sold in flexible sheet enclosures such as cellophane or waxpaper having an openable end for removal of the contents. The tray has a base and an upright end wall, with means to hold in closed position a previously opened end of the enclosure and seal against air. Such means may include a notch extending from an edge of the end wall and tapering inwardly from the edge to a narrow slot portion. When desired to close the flexible sheet enclosure, its opened end is gathered, placed through the notch at the edge and drawn inwardly from the edge wedging securely and air-sealingly in the narrow slot portion of the notch, with the sealed enclosure and contents resting on the base. The gathered end of the enclosure wedged in the notch not only seals against air but holds the enclosure and contents on the tray adjacent the end wall.

This application in part discloses and claims subject matter disclosed in my earlier filed pending application Ser. No. 574,176, filed Aug. 22, 1966, and now abandoned.

This invention relates to a new and useful holder, server and sealer which provides a tray having a base and end wall, with means to hold in a closed position a previously opened end of the enclosure and seal against air. Such means may include a notch extending from an edge of the end wall and tapering inwardly from the edge to a narrow slot for wedging the opened end of a flexible sheet enclosure to provide a seal against air.

Many products are sold in flexible sheet packages or enclosures, such as cellophane, waxpaper and the like. After being opened for use, it is often desirable to retain the remaining contents in the original packaging, or in other flexible sheet bags or enclosures, and to sealingly close the opened end against air.

It is an object of this invention to provide a unitary device capable of functioning as a combined holder, server and sealer, that is simple in design, easy to clean, easy and inexpensive to manufacture, having means to hold in a closed position a previously opened end of a flexible sheet package or enclosure and to seal against air.

It is an object of this invention to provide a holder, server and sealer having a base and an upright wall at one end thereof, with a notch in an edge of the end wall tapering inwardly from the edge to a narrow slot portion for wedging the gathered previously-opened end of a flexible sheet enclosure to seal against air.

It is an object of this invention to provide a convenient hand grasp means on a combined holder, sealer and server to enable convenient use as a server.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view from the front of a holder, server and sealer made according to this invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view from the rear of the holder, server and sealer shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a side elevation view of the holder, server and sealer shown in FIG. 1 with a loaf of sliced bread in a flexible sheet enclosure placed thereon, showing the 3,518,931 Patented July 7, 1970 opened end of the enclosure gathered, and drawn through a notch in the end wall of the device sealingly wedged therein.

FIG. 4 is a front elevation view showing a modification of the holder, server and sealer made in accordance with this invention.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, FIG. 1 shows a holder, server and sealer made according to this invention. In the embodiment shown, the holder, server and sealer designated generally by the numeral 1 has a rigid or firm base 2 which serves as a tray to hold food or other articles placed thereon, and an end wall 3 extending upwardly from one end of the base 2.

The embodiment of sealing means illustrated in FIG. 1 includes a notch 4 which begins at an edge 5 of the end wall 3 and tapers inwardly to a narrow slot portion 6. The opened end of a flexible sheet enclosure or package is gathered together to close, and inserted into the notch 4 at the edge 5, then drawn inwardly from the edge 5 toward the narrow slot portion 6 where it is wedged securely to seal the enclosure and its contents against air. The gathered portions of the enclosure wedged in the end wall 3 also at the same time holds the enclosure and contents to the holder, server and sealer.

Hand grasp means are provided by forwardly extending flange 7 and downwardly extending lip 8, the flange 7 extending from the upper edge 9 of end wall 3. The lip 8 extends downwardly only a relatively short distance, and not below the point on the end wall 3 where the narrow slot portion 6 holds the gathered portion of previously opened flexible sheet enclosure extending through the end wall. This construction and placement of the hand grasp means avoids interference with the gathered portion of the enclosure or package extending through the end wall 3 when the hand grasp means is taken in hand.

The notch 4 may begin from the upper edge 9, in which case the flange 7 and lip 8 may have corresponding slots 10 and 11 extending transversely therethrough in communication with notch 4 so the previously opened gathered end of the flexible enclosure may be placed above the notch 4, slots 10 and 11, and drawn downward through slots 10 and 11 into notch 4 and further downward to wedge in the narrow slot portion'6. If slots 10 and 11 are not provided in flange 7 and lip 8, the gathered end of the flexible enclosure may be tucked through the wider upper portion of notch 4 and then drawn downward.

The notch 4 may begin also from a side edge of the end wall 3 and taper inwardly toward the narrow slot portion 6 at an inner region of the end wall 3.

A modification as shown in FIG. 4 provides a notch 4a beginning at an edge 5a and tapering inwardly toward a narrow slot portion 6a which is in communication with an olfset narrow slot portion 6b tapering toward a termination point in a direction away from narrow slot portion 6a.,

Other means for holding the gathered portion of an opened end of flexible sheet enclosure and providing a seal against air may include a variety of clips and other fastening devices mounted on the end wall 3, but the embodiments described herein in detail are preferable. The tapered notch holding and sealing means is simple in design as well as operation, requiring merely a downward movement of the gathered previously opened end of the enclosure until wedged securely. To remove and reopen requires merely a simple upward movement to withdraw from the notch. The position of the hand grasp means, flange 7 and lip 8, at the upper edge of the end wall 3 avoids interference with the gathered end portion of the enclosure extending through the end wall 3 at a region inward from the edge. For a temporary seal, the gathered end of the flexible sheet enclosure may be merely tucked under the enclosure and its contents, placed on the base 2 and the gathered, tucked-under end placed firmly against the end wall 3. The forces of gravity and frictional contact will hold the gathered end tucked under on the base 2 and against end wall 3.

The holder, server, sealer of this invention may be made of metal, plastic, wood or cardboard. Its use is particularly convenient for food products which must be sealed against air to retain freshness and to avoid contamination. However, it obviously can be used for numerous other packaged articles besides food for which it is desirable to reseal in a flexible sheet package after removing or serving a portion of the contents.

The particular forms of the invention described herein and illustrated in the accompanying drawings are preferred embodiments, and various changes in the size, shape, materials and arrangement of parts may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the attached claims.

Having thus set forth my invention, what I claim is:

1. A holder, server and sealer for an openable flexible sheet enclosure and contents thereof, comprising a base, an end wall extending upwardly from said base, and sealing means in said end wall, wherein said sealing means comprises a tapered notch in said end wall, the widest end of said notch beginning at an edge of said end wall, the narrowest end of said notch terminating at a point on said end wall inward from said edge, said narrowest end providing continuously tapered wedging means to receive and hold gathered portions of said flexible sheet enclosure together in closed position.

2. A holder, server and sealer as set forth in claim 1, including hand grasp means formed integrally with said end wall along its upper edge as a continuous forward and downward extension thereof, wherein said sealing means comprises a tapered notch in said end wall, the widest end of said notch beginning at the upper edge of said end wall, the narrowest end of said notch terminating at a point on said end wall inward and downward from said edge, said narrowest end providing wedge means to receive and hold gathered portions of said flexible sheet enclosure together in closed position, and slot means extending through said hand grasp means in communication with said notch at the upper edge of said end wall.

3. A holder, server and sealer as set forth in claim -1, wherein said wedging means includes a tapering continuous slot portion on said end wall which extends and narrows in one direction from a beginning widest point and continues to extend and narrow in a different direction to an ending narrowest point.

4. A holder, server and sealer as set forth in claim 3, wherein said continuous slot portion extends and narrows in an opposite direction to an ending narrowest point from that at a beginning widest point, said slot portion at said ending narrowest point being offset from said slot portion at said beginning widest point.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 987,162 3/1911 Oglesby et al. 21728 1,165,110 12/1915 Milliron 21728 1,296,423 3/1919 Neef 220-41 XR 1,732,643 10/ 1929 Dierks.

1,785,498 12/1930 'Savageau 229 XR 2,112,477 3/1938 Brownfield 229-65 XR 3,295,734 1/1967 Bish et al. 224-48 FOREIGN PATENTS 161,785 4/ 1921 Great Britain.

EDWARD L. ROBERTS, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 22965 

